Shocking rumors were flying in the metaverse tonight suggesting that a Linden Lab bug fix later this week could result in a serious case of massive prim return – and possible self-inflicted denial of service on “your world, your imagination”. According to usually reliable sources, Linden Lab is fixing a bug in the Second Life server code dealing with object bonus – or “double prim” land – which allows sims with object bonus set over 1.0 to have more than 15k prims.

Normally, object bonus land is only intended to redistribute prims from one parcel to the rest in the sim – a selling point for some land owners. Because Second Life has an virtual land scarcity economy, artificial limits on building complexity help drive sales of virtual “land” – and many real estate agents market sims that allow for more complex builds than normal to differentiate their offerings.

Unfortunately – if our sources are to be believed – the game gods are “fixing” a problem that allowed for excessive numbers of prims and complex builds on object bonus lands. Later this week, when the bug fix is put in place, sims with object bonus over 1.0 will have significant returns of prims when a rolling restart updates the server code – leading to massive grid wide object return.

Given the somewhat fragile nature of the asset server, the concern is that large scale object returns will lead to a self-inflicted distributed denial of service attack on Second Life – by the game gods themselves.

For sims that have by accident or design taken advantage of the object bonus bug, the immediate issue is simply prim return. Apparently some sims have well over 18k prims – so the prim return side effect of the object bonus bugfix is likely to damage builds, even if the Lab avoids a grid wide prim return asset server meltdown. One source suggests that estate owners take heed, and de-prim now.

While new residents may find this all hard to believe, keep in mind that Linden Lab is a company that cannotevenorganizeabirthdayparty. Who needs griefers when you have LL?

13 Responses to “Double Prim Land Bugfix To Scrog SL?”

Dr. Wily

Jun 3rd, 2008

BAWWWW DEY IS TAKING AWAY MY PRECIOUS PRIMS LETS WRIT5E AN ARTICLE SAYING THEY’LL FUCK THEMSELVES OVER WHEN THEY DO THAT ALL THE TIME ANYWAY

Gordon Wendt

Jun 3rd, 2008

They knew what they were getting into when they took advantage of a bug so I have no sympathy for those who exploited a bug in how prim limits were being handled and are getting bitten for it. It would suck though if the asset server goes down because of LL fixing this issue though which would be be on both LL and the land exploiter’s heads.

Angel

Jun 4th, 2008

So you are saying your “usually reliable” anonymous source passes on a scary rumour that some residents are using an exploit to fill a SIM with over 15K prims and that this exploit will be patched?

Did you test the theory? Set a region to 2.0 bonus and exceed the 15K limit or have you just accepted the claim at face value?

Angel

Jun 4th, 2008

Here… I tested it for you in one of my low prim regions (they are easier to fill up)

This is the same behavior as always… if your region exceeds the allowed prim count through objkect bonus fiddles or through another exploit I know about but you don’t need to know about, when it next reboots the objects get deleted.

The “About Land” clearly lists you are over, as it always has and warns you that objects will be deleted.

Looks like your reliable source was ignoring this message and the region he lives in was rebooted.

MoxZ

Jun 4th, 2008

Screw this! When are they going to fix the skirt issue?!

Lord Kamina

Jun 4th, 2008

“No! I must fight the griefers” LL shouted

The radio said “No, LL. You are the griefers”

And then LL was a zombie.

IntLibber Brautigan

Jun 4th, 2008

This bug does not evince itself when all the land in the sim is under one parcel or one owner. Its only when there are multiple land owners and owning groups in the same sim that we see serious problems. The “simulator primitive usage” numbers do not display accurate information in a well subdivided region. You need to go parcel to parcel counting prims on the parcel level to get an accurate count (ctrl shift 1 seems to slightly underestimate prim counts, but may be related to temp prim discrepancies).

Many sim owners legitimately use object bonus so they can have ample open common land, either water, or wilderness, and to redistribute unused prims from those parcels to their paying residents. Its unfortunate that the server prim counting system has been buggy, a lot of sims will be impacted, but if people take heed and pack up furnishings and other objects til the update is over, then no property losses should result.

Alex

Jun 4th, 2008

You morons. I just messaged several lindens and they said that no such work is going on. You really need to check your facts before you release gossip and rumors into the SL-population and cause mass panic.

Idiots.

Roberry

Jun 4th, 2008

Yeah… I received a note about this from the estate owner where I “own.” It stated that all estate owners were told this, yet none of the ones I’ve spoken to have heard anything about it. Something seems a little fishy here–especially since I’ve not found a single other person (on the web or in-world) to know of any such thing.

Can anyone direct me to a more official page explaining this?

Nacon

Jun 4th, 2008

What made you think there is a sim that has more than 15k prims? There are no bug listed on JIRA, as far I’ve looked.

(Oh yeah… forgot that you’re still retarded, Pixeleen.)

Sargeant Lane

Jun 4th, 2008

Article summary:

My mechanic told me that my fuel injectors were dirty, BUT FUCK HIM! That dirty bastard. He wants me to leave my car with him for a few hours! He’s obviously trying to harm my car! Not only that – I won’t be able to drive it for a few hours! How will I survive? How will I make it to group?

d3adlyc0d3c

Jun 4th, 2008

@Alex

Apparently you forgot/are to stupid to find and message the right lindens. I would start with Engineers or – if you could get a response – Blue Linden would likely know.

WarKirby

Jul 12th, 2008

What makes you think the asset servers can’t handle a few thousand prims being returned?

Do remember that restarts are rolled across the grid in a wave, all sims do NOT get the new code at the same time. Things will be returned gradually sim by sim.